This retrospective study was designed to audit the pattern of intraoerative whole blood transfusion among surgical patients over a two-year period. Data were collected on the rate of intra-operative transfusion, estimated blood loss, units of blood transfused, pattern of use of autologous blood and circumstance of the surgery. Fifteen percent of the surgical population had blood transfusion in the intraoperative period. Over half of the patients (52.3%) received single unit transfusion. Preoperative anaemia was seen in 14.9% of the population. There was no intraoperative estimation of haemoglobin level prior to transfusion. Estimated blood loss over 500mL was a likely trigger for intraoperative whole blood transfusion.

Intraoperative blood transfusion among adult surgical patients in a tertiary hospital in Benin City, Nigeria